Fenves working ‘well’ with AD
UT president stops short of saying he supports Patterson.
In a wide-ranging interview Tuesday, university President Gregory L. Fenves said he meets regularly with Texas men’s athletic director Steve Patterson but stopped short of giving him any public support.
Fenves described his relationship with Patterson in cool terms, almost as if he has a dozen other issues and angry athletic boosters are only one of them.
Asked specifically if he supports Patterson, Fenves said, “I guess the best way to describe it is I’m working with him and we are continuing to work through the issues.
“I listen to everybody that calls me, whether it’s on athletics or statues,” he added during an hourlong session with members of the American-Statesman editorial board. “I’m respectful of their opinion. I don’t try to justify anything one way or the other. But when it comes to athletics, I say I’m fairly new to this, and I’m working well with Steve Patterson, and we’re going through the issues.”
The American-Statesman reported July 14 that Patterson’s job was in jeopardy after a spring and summer full of unpopular changes, including the department’s decision to raise football ticket prices. Fenves issued a cursory statement then, and he was not available for interviews during August.
Patterson met with reporters July 17 and detailed numerous changes made on his watch. The department provided reporters with a six-page document titled “Texas Athletics Overview.”
Fenves continued to meet regularly with Patterson during the summer.
Arena update: Fenves said UT has not had any discussions with city leaders about funding possibilities for a new basketball arena. But Fenves does want to explore off-campus locations.
“I think the arena functions as an important civic amenity,” he said. “You look at many cities of Austin’s size and larger; an arena in an urban area is important.”
Academic review: Fenves said the review of possible academic misconduct by former UT basketball players will be completed by the end of 2015. The school hired Alabama attorney Gene Marsh, who previously worked with the NCAA, to conduct the inquiry.
“I don’t want to speak for Gene,” Fenves said. “But I’ve not gotten any indications from my discussion with him that he feels there’s a systematic problem.”
On football: Fenves said he was disappointed in Saturday’s loss at Notre Dame. “I hear from a lot of Longhorn fans,” he said. “Glad the football season is underway. Got some games ahead of us, so I’m optimistic that coach Strong knows what to do.”